Of Arcs and Embers
by SimplySutton
Summary: Electricity is relied upon by humanity: it gives them light. And what is humanity without light? Before that fire took the place of electricity, separating humanity from the dark it loathed. A partnership between both could prove to be the brightest light of them all, giving humanity hope: a Beacon, no matter how shrouded the origins. AU. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. Electro Jaune
1. Chapter 1

The skyline of Vale was aglow, the brilliant brightness of the open windows bleeding out into the night sky. Power lines hummed, burdened with lightning dust. The vibrant neon of advertisement boards seeped into the city's pallet, accentuated by the holographic traffic lights, signs and signals.

But Jaune leapt between rooftops soaked in the radiance, electric blue sparks dancing at his feet, shining brighter than them all. Standing out was the last thing he needed though.

Not that it mattered anymore.

A fleet of small dust-craft pursued him, pushing the young man forward as he effortlessly avoided another projectile clearly designed to stun him. He was minutely aware of the crew in the largest, no doubt occupied by Torchwick or one of his higher ranking goons. That was the price to pay for _'fucking shit up' _as Xavier had so eloquently put it before they'd broken into the organisation's headquarters, subsequently invoking their wrath.

Jaune slowed for a second, pivoting to send an arc of electricity towards one of the craft. The namely ship spun out of control before disappearing below the buildings and into the street. He hoped nobody below was hurt, but that wasn't exactly his number one priority at that given moment.

'_Besides it's was 2am or something, who in their right mind is up at this time?' _he justified his recklessness to his conscience, shooting down another craft which veered out of control, its control system fried thanks to an EMP the teen had cast a moment earlier.

BOOM!

'SHIT!' Jaune cursed aloud as the fragile warehouse he currently occupied began to collapse thanks to the ship's impact into the framework.

He desperately tried to find a way to avoid falling, surging forwards cloaked in lightning, yet falling short of the nearest ledge. He flashed backwards, hoping to find a power cable to merge into, crying out in frustration at Vale's mainly underground system.

Before he could find another route to escape a netting entangled him before gravity unceremoniously dumped him on the ground in a heap of rope and confusion. Jaune opened his eyes to be greeted the blinding lights of the remaining craft circling him.

Feebly he tried to escape again, charging himself with pure electricity yet watching as his prison didn't melt or disintegrate.

"Yeah, that's the finest rubber in Vytal kid. Surprised? We've had our eyes on you for a while now Arc…caused us a lot of hassle too," a man in a white trench coat leaning on a cane drawled.

"Torchwick," Jaune whispered, frowning.

The criminal reached down to wear a backpack lay a few feet away from Jaune's tangled figure. He smiled upon examining its contents, having achieved his objective.

"Well, nice meeting you kid, but I ave places to be, people to rob…I'm a busy man you know!" Torchwick dismissed him, his slim figure throwing the pack towards a nearby grunt. "Goodnight,"

-THWACK-

And with that Jaune's world faded to a solid blanket of white.

* * *

><p>*groan*<p>

"He's awake," a voiced called out.

Jaune opened his eyes only to blink them shut again at the harsh lighting of the room he was in: a white canvas with a mirror clearly designed to keep people from getting out, the room's lack of an obvious hinting at the purpose.

Looking down he noticed that has hands were bound to a chair loosely, Jaune wriggling to a point where he could set himself free.

A panel slid to the left and lights around the door's frame dimmed: a typical SDC concealed vault door he'd found through most of the criminal underworld's hideouts. From behind the door come a women of roughly his age, tall stiletto heels clicking on the hard floor. She wore a fitted crimson dress with golden detail matching her eyes.

"_Quick, catch her off guard,"_

"I'm sure you're aware why you're here Mr Arc," the brunette began in a silky smooth voice.

"Well, as long as everybody here is as beautiful as you I don't really care," he replied flashing his best roughish smile. He knew it was an awful line, but the fairer sex…yeah, that was still a bit of a mystery to Jaune.

"Uh…" her persona faltered, not really having any idea what to do when it came to a compliment, especially from an attractive member of the male populace, not the crude, generic bunch who made up the crime network.

"Look, while I'd like nothing more than to spend that next ten minutes trying to bring a gorgeous women back to reality, I could really use something to eat," he casually remarked, before watching a tray appear from a wall.

Upon collecting the tray, she made her way to Jaune.

"So, what's your name then?" Jaune asked curiously, as she neared him.

"Cinder, Cinder Fall," she spoke, returning back to the smooth poise she possessed earlier.

"Nice name…you're seriously hand-feeding me..?"

"Protocol," Cinder replied dismissively, leaning forwards to place the sustenance in his mouth, watching the young man begrudgingly chew before swallowing the bland meal.

"Perfect," she remarked before walking towards the door.

And with that Cinder slinked out of the room leaving a disgruntled Jaune Arc tied to a chair, trying to decide the easiest way out of his binds…it didn't take long; he smirked as he flickered out of existence, reappearing a few feet away.

Suddenly the room was alive with a flurry of mechanic whines as the seemingly connected panels slid apart allowing a plethora of objects to emerge; below him was an _almost_ comfortable mattress, raised a few feet above the ground by a basic bed frame. There was a tall wardrobe in the opposite corner with a post-it note stuck to the newly revealed door. His curiosity getting the better of him Jaune stood up and examined it.

'**Put these on,' **the text read, and Jaune obliged, not overly keen on spending the day in the ruined clothes that made up his current attire. The clothes themselves were simple enough, an armoured white tank-top and a pair of padded jeans and a light strong gauntlet clearly intended to protect his entire right arm.

Next he moved to a single mirror which was no doubt double sided, but Jaune didn't really care, staring into his reflection and ruffling his hair with an electric touch, the static roughly spiking it into the roughish appearance Jaune had recently adapted.

Happy with his appearance the young Arc waited patiently on his bed to be called upon. After all, they wouldn't have dressed him in such a manner if he were to be doing nothing all day, the deduction only reinforced by Cinder's words. As if on cue the doors slid open revealing a dark skinned man with a must most of his body covered in the armour that a become the defining mark of White Fang members. Wherever Jaune was, he knew that he wasn't going to simply be able to walk out.

The man escorted him for what seemed miles, each blank corridor blending into the next, before they arrived at a lift. With a jolt the contraption began to plummet further into the earth, the distasteful music that had become the norm with every elevator ringing in his ears.

At long last they were brought to a halt, the door sliding open to reveal a large expanse of space, padded with thick steel and a metal floor which was no doubt resistant to the highest of pressures. An observation deck was clear to see behind a thick glass wall. Jaune could make out the figure of Cinder, Roman and several other men. Jaune looked closer, trying to identify any of the personnel as high ranking targets but was disappointed. In hindsight Jaune realised the big dogs in crime would never take up permanent residency here, not with Vale's security and strong allegiance with Atlas. No, they'd be holed up on large vehicles in the oceans or in a less secure province where the police forces were too busy with containing the mundane crimes and petty squabbles of the everyday residents, much less deal with an international crime syndicate.

Refocusing on the world around him Jaune noticed a giant blast door open revealing a small squad of medium sized androids, perhaps designed to function as special units in combat circumstances judging by the range of weapons the troops carried. Each was finished with in smooth silver and white almost like a uniform.

The real question was why the criminals were in possession of some of the latest Atlesian attack robots.

"Mr Arc," the speakers boomed. "We are in need of your help…well, not yours specifically, but someone of your skillset is of value to us right now,"

It was the unmistakable drawl of Roman Torchwick.

"Nothing complicated on the surface to begin with, just try and take this bunch of tin-heads out..."

"Wow, that's original_,"_ the young man quipped, his voice laced with sarcasm. So he was being used as a testing mechanism for these stupid bots. Fine. He'd give them the test of their 'life'.

The machines quickly whirred into motion, every robotic optic swivelling to meet the teen's sceptical gaze. There was a moment of silence as each machine calculated the best course of action, every variable being replayed thousands of times in the processor.

Jaune didn't wait for them to make first move, flashing forwards in a trail of blue light, before burying an armoured knee into the head of the closest droid, gripping into its shoulders and launching it into the sea of troops with a somersault. Before meeting the punch of a nearby bot that had tried its luck with hand to hand. Jaune twisted sending an electrically charged fist crashing through the bots lower jaw.

The air was thickened with the hail of gunfire, Jaune leaping forwards and disappearing into the circuitry of a nearby robot, which shuddered before surrendering to Jaune's will, the guns on its wrists rotating to leave most of the area's bots dead before they knew what hit them. Jaune temporary host was brought down as the mechanical army recognised the threat and tor it to pieces leaving a metal carcass smoking on the ground.

Mass chaos, confusion and violence ensued: one droid exploded, followed by another, another and another as Jaune jumped between their circuits and overloaded them with his massive pool of aura being released in the form of pure electricity. Despite his abundance of energy, pouring a large amount of energy in something and repeating the process was tiring, Jaune phasing back into existence with an electrical crackle to see that the troop had been decimated, the few remaining retreating back to the safety of the blast doors which closed behind them.

"Smooth kid, really smooth, seriously you might be as good a huntsman as I was. _Nearly,_" an impressed sounding Torchwick commented clapping lightly yet still managing to cast an impression of boredom around the room.

"Really feeling the love Roman. You must have been a great huntsman to get to where you are now," Jaune retorted dryly, rolling his eyes for effect and hearing a silky chuckle come from Cinder, who now stood near Torchwick.

"Woo, two sarcastic teenagers, just what I need…" Roman drawled in displeasure before continuing. "Arc, while we are clearly criminals here, it doesn't mean we expect something for nothing. I know you could have escaped already, I've the 'pleasure' of tailing you over the last year. Yet here you are now out of your own curiosity. Yeah, I know I'm a genius," He didn't wait for a response. "You see, we know that you want to be a hunter, to do your family proud and shit like that: noble shit. So I –we- have an offer: you keep fighting these robots so we can find weaknesses and make them better than stock and we get you into Beacon along with Cinder here,"

Jaune didn't like to admit it, but that sounded like a good deal. He'd been rejected by countless combat schools thanks to his lack of details. An anonymous, recordless yet talented teenager with a history of violent excursions against gangs, mercenaries and the mafia. Just what every respected school wants with all the background checks they have to go through.

Not.

"Done," Jaune responded, realising that the droids would be pretty good training anyway.

"Good," Torchwick replied bringing his arm forwards for Jaune to shake, who did so cautiously, before swivelling on his heels and vanishing, leaving Jaune thinking at a hundred miles per hour as to how he did that.

"Get used to that happening," informed Cinder as she beckoned for Jaune to follow, waiting for him to catch up. "It's nice to finally have some real company,"

* * *

><p>They spent the rest of the day roaming the building, taking in the skyline of city from the few windows at the top of the building. The hideout seemed to be located in the expanse of warehouses at the edge of Vale City. Nobody would think to check here. Many gave shelter to the homeless, who were more often than Jaune liked to think, Faunus. He felt a pang of guilt at being so unable to help.<p>

"…Jaune?" Cinder called, noticing the blond's silence. She wasn't about to let the best opportunity she had to actually make a friend around here slip through her fingers by being indifferent and cold. That side of her was reserved for just about everybody who lived in this building. It was easier to get your way when people are afraid of you…and to get them to stop with the _so very annoying _pickup lines.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about…uh stuff,"

"Stuff such as..?" the brunette prompted, smirking at the blond's vague description, yet pausing as she saw the expression on his face.

"Stuff like the consequences of things I do. Y'know, there are so many homeless people out here whilst we're living right under their noses with enough food to last a year," he sighed, gesturing to some figures huddling around a campfire in the cold twilight air. Noticing Cinder's gaze fall to them, he continued. "I sent down multiple ships yesterday, all of which crashed in buildings. I'm willing to bet every Lien on me that there were people in there,"

Cinder's eyes widened as Jaune explained, having no idea how to ease the guilt that the teen was trying to get off his chest and distance yet failing miserably to do.

"Jaune, you just brought forwards the inevitable; people don't hire Faunus often, especially if they're homeless. They wouldn't be able to get blankets so they'd freeze to death in winter. Eventually their luck was going to run out and they weren't going to find food and then slowly starve to death," she paused seeing Jaune take all this in, his electric blue eyes shining with the twilight sky. "How would you have rather gone? Slowly and painfully or quickly and not even knowing what hit you..?"

Jaune felt the guilt ebb away as he felt more comfortable, looking out of the window at the beauty of the urban landscape as the lights of the inner city began to flicker on like stars slowly appearing in the velvet of the night.

"Thank you," he murmured softly, touched that somebody he'd only just met actually took the time to comfort him. Not something that he'd had much of while at home.

Cinder on the other hand felt proud of herself for acting out of good and compassion instead of spite and bad. She knew from the sincerity of his voice and the weight of the thank you that she'd earned his respect. And perhaps the smallest of friendships had been kindled to embers. One that would last for eternity.

Since that moment the days and weeks passed; two would meet the top of the building every day after Jaune had wiped the floor with the latest robot. Trust grew between the teens, as each savoured the company free from the worries that plagued the working man. But the stasis they had fallen into had to end at some point. Anything good has to at some time.

The moment had come.

Where the battle for life and death over Grimm returned, yet where dreams could be achieved.

Onwards to Beacon.

* * *

><p><strong>Anybody remember me? And no I didn't die.<br>Anyhow, I'd like your guys opinions on this, I can keep it as a one-shot but I'm planning to develop it a bit more...  
>OH! And before anybody whines that lightning manipulation was going to be Nora's power I hope it's less obvious kind of like how Yang's semblance produces fire as a by-product rather than allowing her to manipulate it per-se. Then again, RT aren't exactly great at making things subtle *Cough*Penny*Cough*Robot*Cough*.<br>One last thing BOE is on standby until I get used to writing again, in the meantime I intend to update this.  
><strong>

**Cheers!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**The moment had come.**_

_**Where the battle for life and death over Grimm returned, yet where dreams could be achieved.**_

_**Onwards to Beacon**__._

* * *

><p>"There was always going to be a catch wasn't there?"<p>

"Calm down kid, think of it as a final service…it isn't exactly easy to produce convincing transcripts of the two you," Roman backpedalled, trying to reason with the blond currently humming like a thousand power cables.

"So you decided to neglect to tell me all the details. The deal was that I had to crush legions of tin heads for whatever it is you and your ghost of a boss want and in return for my services I was to go to Beacon," an _incredibly_ agitated Jaune spat venomously. It wasn't what he had to do that angered him, it was simply the fact he'd been lied to or _had information withheld _from him.

"Yes. Don't like it? Sorry kid, but that's just the way the world works. You just need to do one final thing and then you're set…no more trouble from us…well minimal trouble," the criminal replied. "Unless of course you refuse and both of your transcripts might have an unfortunate accident, burning them to ash in the process…think about it Cinder would be heartbroken not being allowed a way out of here, besides she agreed to be on this job too to keep the dream alive,"

Nothing like blackmail to proves one's integrity.

Jaune's mind raced to try and find a way to argue knowing he was in no position to. He wasn't about to make the last few months go to waste, nor was he about to crush Cinder's hope thanks to acting rashly…despite how satisfying discharging a few thousand volts into Roman's bathtub whilst he washed sounded.

"Fine. You win, I'll help with this mission but if I get caught by a hunter or a huntress whilst we're out and get dragged into your mess, I'm going to find you, drag you to the nearest power station and empty _every last volt_ into your body," Jaune threatened darkly, his eyes lighting up neon blue to prove his point.

Roman shuddered, praying that the robbery went smoothly.

Monty wasn't listening.

* * *

><p>It was late. Not late enough that the police department had a man around every corner, waiting for even the slightest illicit activity but the sky was an inky black, the light pollution concealing the star scape with a reddish tint.<p>

Unfortunately that meant that people might still be around…which was _great_ for not being spotted by people.

"Arc, there's been a change of plan…to avoid the possibility of your exposure which would lead to my eventual demise, you're going to cut the cameras in the shop with static and disable the alarm system," Torchwick informed the teenager who nodded.

The boy in question was dressed in a smooth black suit with bright blue text going along the seams on the sleeves, written in dust runes. Beneath was a designer shirt, the top few buttons left undone casually. Sleek leather suits covered his feet, with the same glowing runic pattern around the egde of the sole. Jaune like how it fitted in with Cinder's dress, the formalwear accented with dust empowering the two of them. Of course, they wouldn't wear them at Beacon due to the severe lack of protection and fact that they would on a heist in them.

Roman nodded and the ship slowed, focusing Jaune's mind on the task at hand. The goons were first to make contact with the rooftop, followed by the higher ranked members of the operation and finally Roman. Jaune winked at Cinder reassuringly before dropping backwards out of the Bulkhead and disappearing into the electrical mainframe of the district and plunging each section of the street into darkness as he cut off each lamp's charge, concealing Roman and the crew as they walked towards their destination.

All was going well. They'd arrived at _From Dust 'Till Dawn_, a late opening Dust shop renown for the variety and volume of dust and related products they shipped in from afar. Jaune shut down the alarm and camera system of the shop before speaking into Roman's earpiece.

"Ready,"

Roman smirked, tipping his hat forwards before entering the shops with a gentle 'cling' as the bell pierced the silence of the shop.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop upon at this hour," the criminal drawled, with an inwards smile at the irony of what he'd just said, before the men before him raised their pistols.

"Give us the dust and we won't hurt you," Roman spoke calmly at the panicked shop keeper's jabbering.

His goons fanned out, emptying every last drop of dust into the containers, bot powder and liquid of every colour and variety. This was taking far too long for his liking. Disregarding his point he began to slot each crystal below the counter into his suitcase. Each perfectly cut gem slipped into place flawlessly, hugged by the soft foam of the case.

*SMASH*

And was going so well.

"Which one of idiots managed to drop the dust?" Roman question calmly, his voice masking his anger. The penny dropped as he looked out of what was left of the window to see a few goons on the ground next a younger girl carrying a vicious look scythe.

One by one his crew assembled in front of the girl, moving to the side as he prepared to give them orders. Like they even needed to ask what he wanted, the girl shouldn't still be conscious let alone weaponized…he didn't care if she was a child or not.

"What are you waiting for? Get her..?" he asked with a sigh of exasperation at the team's stupidity. He still had no idea how they'd been so successful with mostly retards working for them.

His squad rushed forwards clumsily to the girl who dispatched them with ease, burying her scythe into the ground and swinging around kicking them into next week. Next they fired upon her, the automatic pistol's thickening the air as the sound of bullets pierced the night sky.

Now the cops were alerted. Fabulous.

In a breath-taking display of speed and acrobatics the girl dashed left and right, swinging the deadly garden tool all the while avoiding and shredding the hail of bullets and scrap metal. The hooded teen then proceeded to humiliate the rest of his goons before his very eyes. He wasn't sure if she was a prodigy or she was average and it was just a testament to the abysmal skills of his henchmen.

"Worth every cent, truly you were," Roman remarked with a scowl as the bodies flew at his feet to land in a mess of tangled limbs, before he looked up and levelled his cane at the girl. "Well red I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening and as much as I'd like to stick around, this is where we part ways,"

She barely had time to react as he vanished into shadows appearing on a ladder some distance away, leaving the girl spluttering in a cloud of smoke thanks to the projectile he'd fired. He knew it wouldn't stop her, she was just too damn curious…and you know what curiosity did to the cat.

It wasn't even a minute later before she was right on his tail again, however his Bulkhead has just arrived, its thrust rippling his coat and kicking the dust of the roof up.

"Persistent," he remarked as he stepped into the craft, currently piloted by Cinder who looked down in concern at their pursuer with still no sign of Jaune. The said youth was currently waiting in a transformer on the roof top, feeling the current humming all around him empowering him.

He watched as Roman threw a burn crystal to the girl's feet before detonating it with a single shot…he didn't like to admit it, but the guy had a knack for doing things with both efficiency _and _style. He looked on in surprise as from the cloud of dust and smoke emerged _The Glynda Goodwitch_, the deputy head of Beacon.

Great, escaping was going to be just easy now.

The huntress cast out purple beams of light from her riding crop, the Bullhead veering under the power of the attack. Jaune looked on as two glowing eyes appeared from the darkness of the storage bay. He knew that Cinder was incredibly strong for their age but fighting a prodigy and an SS-rank huntress at the same time was really a push too far. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him as Cinder sent fireballs flying at the duo in front of him, putting them on the defensive as Goodwitch defended the two of them once again, Cinder ceasing the opportunity to send a huge spear of fire towards the pair. In an amazing show of power Goodwitch shattered the spear reconstructing it with powerful purple energy sending it hurling back towards the ship.

Jaune looked on impressed as Roman angled the ship to deflect the projectile and as Cinder melted every bullet that flew towards her. Yet he was still helpless in the situation, not risking being spotted by two people he would likely be seeing soon, one as a teacher and another as a classmate…though she did look a bit younger to go the academy. He was also fairly sure he could flash that far out as the ship was a good hundred metres away from the rooftop, but it wasn't moving fast enough. He could only watch as an ice storm appeared above the ship, hundreds of icy needles peppering the ship. One more hit and it would be falling back down to the earth very quickly.

It was when he saw the girl in red preparing to fire a high impact round towards the ship the he knew he had to act. He _had _to help them get away. He _would _help them get away.

There was a flash of light and a boom like thunder as Jaune shot forwards frying the electronics of the girl's weapon, causing it to change form, catching the girl off guard, her confused body flying back. The huntress saw a bright trail of pure lightning leaning towards the ship. Green eyes widened as she realised she'd let them get away, the door closing on the side of the ship…but in her last glimpse she saw a second pair of eyes glowing from the darkness; an electric blue pair joining the magma orange ones.

"Well kids, I must say: job well done. Ish," Torchwick complimented the teens with a somewhat condescending tone before producing two documents from his pocket. "As promised two full transcripts fit for Beacon…the digital copies have already been sent, but these are just for reference,"

Jaune and Cinder smirked to each other before prying the transcripts from the criminal's grasp, inspecting them in full detail for any little discrepancies or mistakes. Satisfied their gazes returned back to Torchwick who was grinning, but not out of happiness.

"Great, now I've dealt with you two you're off my hands…" Jaune looked at Roman in confusion before putting the pieces together.

"Cinder how do you feel about walking?" Jaune asked wearily.

"Not particularly fond of it…why?" the beauty replied cautiously, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

"Au revoir!" Torchwick sang cheerfully, as the door opened and the ship tipped heavily to the side as he clung to a handle of the far wall as the teens tumbled onto a nearby rooftop, powerless to watch the Bulkhead sail of into the distance.

"Great," Cinder commented dryly, brushing the dust off of her dress. "What now?"

Jaune smirked. "I know a guy we can visit, he uh…owes me a favour or two so we could get some gear forged and then have a place to say for a bit, I'm pretty confident that he won't mind,"

"How far is it..?" Cider asked cautiously, not looking forwards to the trip in her stiletto heels.

"About…hmmmm…five or six miles?" the young man replied with a grimace, wilting a little under his accomplice's glare.

"Well it's settled then: you're carrying me," Cinder decided, walking closer and pulling Jaune's arm around her. "Well, what are you waiting for? Lift?"

She faced away from Jaune, hiding the blush at how close they were before feeling the weight leave her feet as Jaune picked her up bridal style and found the nearest stair case.

* * *

><p>A building stood before them, looking dated compared to the modern buildings that crowded it. The late Mistrallian architecture with its flat roof and curved walls softened the shop against its surroundings almost like a creature rather than an object. Above the door read <em>Washington's Quality Hunting Supplies, <em>an image of an armoured man with a space helmet emblazed on the side as the logo.

It had taken them long enough to get there too, the sky was beginning to turn violet and the moon was dropping lower and lower out of the sky.

"Vegas, you in?" Jaune shouted knocking the door loudly, causing the poor contraption to wobble on its hinges at the strain.

It swung open to reveal a tired looking man in a dirty red blacksmith's apron with a tired face and sharp eyes. Wrinkles surfaced as he searched his memory for the boy in front of him, before his eyes widened in realisation.

"Jaune m'boy," he gasped happily, pulling the teen into a hug earning a gasp from the crushed brunette between the two. "Come in, what can I do for you at this time? It's pretty late for you kids to be up,"

He ushered the two inside flicking the main lights on. In the corner sat a furnace illuminating the room with a red tinge. Clearly the man had been working late on something judging by the scraps of metal that littered the room. On shelves were hundreds of weapons, categorised into sections. Further down by the counter were various sets of armour of all shapes and colours, each emblazoned with a different emblem respective of its owner.

"So what can I do for you and your lady friend here," the man asked smirking mischievously at the pairs fluttered expressions and denials of affection.

"Were here for weapons and armour…you remember when you said if there was anything I needed you'd get it..? Well here's your chance to make it even. If you can make two sets of combat gear and two of your finest weapons we're all good," Jaune reasoned, already seeing the clogs in the blacksmith's mind turning.

"Okay…give me…hmmmmmm…three days? To allow for fitting, testing and of course the construction itself, weapons don't appear out of thin air y'know," he replied grinning at the prospect of making weapons. "Out of curiosity…why?"

"We're going to Beacon," Cinder cut in smoothly, watching Vegas' jaw hit the floor.

"Jaune you're? Miss you're..?"

"Yep, as surprising as it is given my track record," Jaune chuckled at his befuddled expression.

"Why that's great! Well I'll start drawing up the designs right away!" the man laughed in glee. "Any way you two must be tired, head up and get some rest, there's a twin room up the stairs and on the left,"

"Oh and one more thing…who's Washington?" Cinder asked curiously, her interest piqued at the suit of armour in the corner, the same as the one on the shop front.

The older man began to reminisce with an almost longing expression. "He was an agent. A good one too, but got all mixed up in a clash between a couple of military squads…needless to say, grandpa was pretty cool, and had a bunch of stories to tell,"

Cinder nodded before heading to the staircase Jaune had gone up not a minute sooner. She took the time to admire the pictures of famous hunters and huntresses framed on the walls before coming to their room.

She had the sofa bed. Well that's just great…

She'd take it though, anything to lay down and get some sleep. It proved to be impossible: the awkward arms of the sofa restricting her arms and the horrible squeaking of the mattress every time she moved was slowly driving her insane. It was then she felt envious of Jaune's comfortable bed, its soft looking pillows that hugged into the side of his face as he slept. How his hair fell messily over his face tousled by the sheets…how his toned chest slowly rose and fell with every breath.

Cinder had an epiphany.

She slid out from underneath the covers making as little noise as possible. Her feet sank into the soft carpet as she paced forwards towards the sleeping form of her friend. Now for the difficult bit: the brunette carefully lifted Jaune's covers, keeping an eye on him as she lowered herself onto the soft sheets of the medium bed.

She sighed as the feeling of comfort rushed over her…yet something was missing.

_Aha! _

Being careful not to wake him, she slipped Jaune's arm over her backing into the warmth of his body. It wasn't voluntary on his part but who cares? A woman needs to be comfortable.

_Just one more thing_…Cinder wrapped the other arm around her waist.

Perfect.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Welp, that's another done for you guysgirls. And I know, I know, you were expecting fights and Beacon._ _Oh and Yang ;) Well, good things come to those who wait. I just felt like I need to give Cinder a little more spotlight before everything starts. I may cover certain scenes between the two about their time with Torchwick as flashbacks or something or like write a mini-chapter purely on them...anyway, hope you all enjoyed it and don't forget to review or even just PM letting me know what you think, constructive criticism and praise is appreciated!_**

**_Thank you and have a good week!_**


	3. Chapter 3

Jaune stirred from his slumber, forcing his heavy eyes open only to close them with a groan as bright sunlight streamed in from behind the blinds. Out of all the space in the room the beam of light had to glare into _his _eyes.

Okay, sight could wait.

He took a deep breath and turned to his side to escape the harsh light.

"_Pfffttt"_ Jaune blew forwards to clear his mouth of silky smooth hair. _"Oh no…oh nonononononono!"_

Yep, he was screwed, no way was he going to be able to move without her noticing…oh, how hard the slap he was going to receive was going to be when she awoke; man would leave a mark for days, with or without aura to assist the healing.

All the while Cinder was completely awake, smirking mischievously as she sensed the blond's distress. Like she'd hurt him properly…she was just a little too aggressive to men who tried anything and Jaune had the misfortune of witnessing the events. She doubted that Jaune would get the image of a guard nailed to the wall with a cocktail stick through his tongue. Ever.

The guy was asking for it though; he made the mistake of attempting to kiss her during an evening meal on Valentine's day... kiss as in go up to her with his lips puckered and his tongue hanging out.

As much as she liked Jaune, Cinder wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to scare him like this.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up Jaune~" she spoke with a tone like velvet.

She swore Jaune hadn't moved faster in his life as she felt a slight static tickle her slender arms thanks to his electrically enhanced movement. She shivered at the draft of the duvet settling down at the sudden movement and looked up. To Jaune. Not wearing much.

Silence.

Their gazes locked and Jaune tried to hide his discomfort at awkwardness of the moment. Cinder was in a similar predicament, fighting to keep down a blush as red as her clothes and looking away her mind fixed still on the image of the teen before her.

"I…should…uh go and clean…the paintings and feed the…uh…anvil?" Jaune mumbled rubbing the back of his neck nervously before speeding out of the room quickly, ashamed at his loss of composure and inability to make a witty comment. _'Feed the anvil? You can do better than that Arc,'_

Back inside the room Cinder had shaken off the blush and smiled to herself at Jaune's slip to his normal demeanour. It wasn't often that he tripped up like that so she was going to savour the memory.

'_And never let him forget it…' _she smirked inwardly at the new ammunition she had when Jaune made fun of her being caught off guard.

She was caught off guard as there was a crackle and Jaune's shirt disappeared from the chair in the corner as Jaune sped in and out of the room to retrieve his clothes.

Cinder took the opportunity to clean herself up as Jaune fully got dressed, running her fingers through her hair to smooth it out, looking on unsatisfied at her dishevelled appearance in comparison to the flawless one she usually upheld. She patted the bottom of her dress, pushing out some of the crumples from sleeping, last of all stepping back into the tall stilettos. Yeah, she needed to drag Jaune out shopping sometime…it was a bonus that she'd racked up quite a bank balance thanks to her involvement in Torchwick's schemes. However, the transcripts to Beacon were worth more than her vault's total to her; it was her opportunity to do something with her life. Something for the better.

Back to the task at hand, clothes were needed and she was going to use the chance to do what she wanted for a change to full effect…besides, it isn't all that often that you get to go on one-on-one shopping trips when enrolled in Beacon she supposed.

In her research on the topic she'd found out about the whole team thing with Beacon and wasn't too impressed with the seemingly random selection of them. Especially if the other member or members had eyes for Jaune.

No, she wasn't letting this slip through her fingers. "Jaune, are you ready? I'm taking you to get some clothes," she called, her voice echoing around the bland room in which they were staying.

"Yeah sure, I'll be ready in a min-erghdhhh" Jaune responded, his response cut short thanks the Cinder storming out of the room and grapping him by the collar to lead him downstairs and out of the door.

"BYE VEGAS!" the blond shouted from within the hold of Cinder.

'_Why couldn't we just shop online..?'_

No, that would've been far too easy.

* * *

><p>"Please! We're here now. Let. Go. Of. Me," the wheezing form of Jaune Arc demanded, gasping to feel the thick air after Cinder released him from her grasp. It wasn't anything personal against her, if anything he enjoyed the contact, though he wasn't about to admit it. But he had a <em>slightly massive <em>problem with being throttled for a mile.

Recovered, he joined Cinder in taking in the landscape from a leisurely perspective rather than watching all the building pass by from a Bulkhead. Despite loving how everything was lit up at night, Jaune had to admit that the city had a certain charm during the day. The layers of conversation amongst the morning hustle and bustle give the area a sense of friendliness and calm despite the rush some people were in. It was a far cry from how he'd been living his life over the last few years.

Oum he hoped the organisation would give him a break now…no, that wasn't a part of his past he wished to revisit.

"Jaune we're getting clothes first and foremost…we can't stay in this stuff for long," Cinder informed, interrupting Jaune's thought process, who could only nod numbly in response.

The shop itself was a discreet outlet of many of Remnant's finer brands…of course Cinder would know where to find a place like this. Behind the glass windows at the front were the latest trends in formalwear, contrasting with the more casual outfits that could be seen further in. Of course the most expensive things were at the front: that would explain the current lack of customers, who were discouraged by the prices.

Good, they wouldn't have to fight through crowds or have to queue for half an hour for dressing rooms.

Entering it wasn't long before Cinder had picked up a few dresses ranging from fiery orange to match her eyes, deep volcanic red and to the deepest black. Jaune was glad he didn't have to pay for them…his balance while nothing to be sniffed out wasn't going to spent merely on fashion: he picked up a couple of charcoal suits and moved on.

Needless to say his jaw hit the floor audibly when Cinder slinked out of the changing room wearing a stunning crimson sleeved dress, the silk hugging her feature and highlights causing the pits of fire that were eyes to shine even more brightly.

"Perfect," Jaune commented, picking up his jaw smiling brightly as he stood up. "Do I even want to know how much that is going to cost?"

"Twenty-thousand Lien," Cinder answered smirking, her cheeks tinged slightly red at the compliment. "You don't look so bad yourself,"

The darkness of his suit contrasted with the light of his hair and while not being his first choice in attire, he knew that Cinder expected him to match her level in clothes…if he'd had his way he'd stay in combat gear all the time, though he did admit that wearing high end threads made him feel classy and important.

Not that it'd help on the field, but that was irrelevant…Jaune was going to enjoy this trip as much as he could manage.

As if on cue his eyes spotted a crochet-shaped sign across the street and his eyes instantly lit up. In one fluid movement he swiped his card and raced out of the door with his bags still in hand, leaving a bewildered Cinder in his wake, who was currently sharing a look of surprise with the shop assistant.

Jaune himself was lost in his own world as the aroma of wood from acoustic guitars filled his senses; there were rows upon rows of instruments hung off of the walls, organised neatly according to their type. His gaze touched on every single one, remembering the sound that his mother could produce from one…sadly that wasn't a talent he'd inherited.

That's when Jaune spotted it. The room almost shrank around him as he zeroed in on an ebony grand piano that stood spotlighted in the centre of the room…he almost slapped himself at how he hadn't noticed it any sooner. Sliding onto the stood he ran his fingers over the keys; not loudly enough to trigger a sound but enough to feel the weight and texture of each. They were as smooth as glass.

He cast a sideways glace to the man at the counter before wincing at the price tag…ouch…it was more expensive than the dress Cinder had just bought. It wasn't like he was going to damage it though…besides, it was just begging to be played.

_**(Insert any of Yiruma's compositions here)**_

With a flex of his fingers Jaune's hands began to work the keys, producing a delicate melody that resonated around the room. All the tension from his body ebbed away into the song as his body gently swayed as his hands ran up and down the keyboard rhythmically.

It wasn't long before the teen was completely unaware of his surroundings, purely focused on listening to the tones flowing from the instrument before him. He pressed harder into the keys and allowed the sustain pedal to drag the notes along, empowering the final section of the pieces.

All the while Cinder stood entranced at the scene before her along with the small crowd of people that had gathered to hear the source of music. She'd never recalled seeing Jaune so relaxed…his finesse in combat had translated to his music as each note he produced came with such ease and poise.

Jaune himself looked up after a final flourish to find the small crowd clapping before him, causing him to jump and push his hands into the keys causing a dissonant crash.

'_Great, I've now got some explaining to do,' _Jaune thought with an internal cringe at his little secret being exposed.

* * *

><p>"Jaune, seriously that was amazing…but why didn't you tell me?"<p>

"You never asked…plus the warehouses aren't exactly abundant with musical instruments," Jaune responded to Cinder's compliment, wary of the edge to her voice at the end. If there was one thing Cinder hated the most, it was not knowing. Anything.

"Thank you for that update inspector," she replied dryly, punching Jaune's shoulder hard enough to cause him to stumble. "Great, well now I don't have to waste anymore Lien on classical music…you're now my official music slave,"

"Music slave? I thought you just enjoyed telling me what to do…" Jaune replied lightly with a teasing smirk, returning to her side.

"No I do NOT! I just like to practise for command situations, that's all,"

Jaune raised his eyebrow teasingly, waiting for the truth.

Silence ensued. And was promptly pierced.

"Fine. Just fine. I enjoy telling you what to do. Happy?" Cinder conceded throwing her hands down in irritation and sighing.

"See, that didn't hurt too much did it?" Jaune chided. "Oh, and you look beautiful in this light," he added on quickly to cheer her up, before realising his error…

"Oh, do I not look beautiful all the time Jaune?" his companion asked warningly.

"Uhm yes! Yes! Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that! You are beautiful all the time, gorgeous in fact! Uh, Yes! Oh come on just take the compliment pleaseee..?" the teen practically begged, knowing fully that he was screwed if she took his words the wrong way and to heart.

A subtle blush appeared on her cheeks in the evening air, but she knew Jaune hadn't noticed; he was too busy panicking. "Relax, Jaune and thank you," she replied finally, causing Jaune to let out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.

The smell of metalwork and heated dust thickened the air as they got closer and closer to the blacksmith's shop which had accumulated a small crowd of children who were busy caught up in their imaginations window shopping. As for people who actually bought things there, the number was few as it wasn't often hunters and huntresses needed new equipment, especially weapons and armour. Most made their armour so that it would last, negating the need to return to shops like this. However, bespoke traps and throwing weapons were always in demand, so Vegas was never short of income.

Upon entering the teens were caught and whisked excitedly into a room at the back of the shop. The walls themselves were covered in blueprints for weapons and armours of all kinds. The floor and various workbenches were littered with the prototypes of weapons and mecha-shift models, all of which shone in the evening light cast through the windows.

Vegas could barely contain himself as he released a flurry of enthusiastic greeting to the two before rummaging through the papers to produce and few rolls of paper.

"Miss Fall, your designs are up first…" the man informed the two, fidgeting half nervous, half excited like a child would whilst showing a project to teachers or to the rest of class. "I thought long and hard about your weapons designs, though it become glaringly obvious to me what you needed. You see, I noticed the burn dust embedded into the dress you were wearing and it came to me. Fire. I took inspiration from the element itself; the elegance of it, much like yourself and I came to the conclusion that a light sword would be the perfect type of weapon,"

The man took a huge breath allowing Cinder to take in what he had just said in. She did admit, Vegas did have a knack for getting things right as she'd trained to use a singular sword in her childhood.

"This is the good bit:" Vegas continued. "You see, by setting up a dust circuit and using some clever manipulation of the fifth law of dust, I managed to synthesise a thin film of burn dust around the blade. Upon fusing with your aura, the dust should ignite. Essentially, you have a blade of pure fire!" he exclaimed with a flourish, proud of himself. "Oh, and you shouldn't have to worry about long range capabilities, you should be able to channel the burn dust to the end of the blade with basic aura manipulation almost like a flamethrower. You should have a range of about ten to fifteen feet, so you're covered in that respect,"

Cinder considered herself as having a great intellect, but her mind was jumble at the speed and technicality of the language Vegas had just spouted.

"He means you have a fire sword that shoots a burst of flames," Jaune translated with a chuckle, knowing how enthralled the man could get in his work.

"As for armour I was thinking for some segmented plate along the back of each arm, attached around the shoulders. It should allow you some level of protection whilst keeping you on your feet…also if you give me what you're wearing at the moment I should be able to reinforce it so you can wear it underneath to afford some more protection for yourself,"

Whilst Cinder didn't always understand the man, he sure knew what he was talking about. Any smith that could forge armour while still keeping her stylish instantly earned a place in her good books.

The blacksmith turned to Jaune, fumbling around for another set of papers, his face lighting up when he found what he was searching for.

He had a noticeable gleam to his eyes when he addressed Jaune. "Again, this is probably one of my finest works. You see, I know you well enough to know your little affinity for electricity, thus I didn't need to imbue the blade with a layer of dust; no, instead I had a friend of mine draw up the runes for the blade to amplify the electricity, all the while, the metal used is a great conductor. Providing you pulse your aura into the weapon the blade is essentially contained lightning!"

"Vegas, you really outdid yourself on this one didn't you?" Jaune asked, smiling at the thought and design of the weapon…though it wasn't exactly going to hide his ability from people…nevertheless, his semblance was versatile enough to have enough tricks and surprises for his opponents to last a lifetime.

However, Vegas wasn't done yet. "You see, while I'm aware you can channel your power into ranged attacks anyway, you can't really spread your fire, nor can you do it rapidly, so I worked around that. Given the fact your blade is a little bulkier I worked a mecha-shift into it; upon changing form it will assume the role of an LMG. Again taking advantage of your semblance and the way your aura has manifested the bullets will be charged, sending them much faster and more accurately at the enemy," the man once again paused to allow the information to sink in. "One last thing, your armour is made to conduct electricity so your fine in to experiment in that regard. It's simply a chest piece along with a similar arm design to your friend here, however, you will have gauntlets incorporated into the design to give you a second route to parry strikes as your strength is higher than Miss Fall's here," Jaune knew Vegas was a good smith, but he had no idea he was _this_ good. "Oh and of course I'll reinforce the clothes you're wearing now…it'd be a shame to let them simply waste away in a wardrobe,"

Jaune swore Vegas was a different person when he was talking about weapons and the like. Gone was the friendly and inarticulate store owner. Instead he became an encyclopaedia of arms knowledge…

People all had the ability to surprise you. Jaune knew that only too well.

To an extent.

* * *

><p>"Seriously?!" Jaune cried, jumping out of his skin as he felt two arms wrap around him. "I swear you're just trying to give me a heart attack!"<p>

While he appreciated how friendly Cinder was being recently, it was freaking him out at how she could move so silently.

"Mmmmphh…shut up and sleep," the said women whispered tiredly.

Sleep.

Right.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hey! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I hope I've gone of the way to satisfying you guys about Cinder's character, but of course there is only so much I can do in a chapter whilst getting the story to go somewhere AND releasing the chapter in time.<br>Anyway, now everything's set up for Beacon *Yay*!  
><strong>__**As for weapon names, I'm open to ideas. I based Jaune LMG off of Thunderlord from Destiny, a game which I got bored of way too quickly but liked the guns I guess, so Jaune's sword/gun will be named somewhere along the lines of that...'Thunder Devil' anyone?  
><strong>_

_**Shoutout to YARN who's too modest for his own good;) (back me up here people)**_

_**BOOP!**_


	4. Chapter 4

"_All students feel obliged to board the craft within the next ten minutes: take off will occur at exactly midday,"_

Upon the announcement, students of all colour schemes, all talents and all sizes began to congregate around the doors leading to the inside of a commercial dust-plane, marked with the iconic clashing axes of the Beacon logo. Below the docking terminal stood the figures of proud parents and relatives who had shown up to bid their children and mentees a farewell before they embarked on their firsts step to becoming hunters and huntresses: those who shouldered the burden of protecting humanity from the ever-present threat of Grimm.

Lingering behind the hoard of students making a bee-line towards the doors stood two figures, both dressed well in black and crimson respectively with silvery armour protecting most of the boy's and portions of the girl's body. The male walked with the gait and fluidity of a well-trained fighter, light on his feet and exuding an akin to a master of a skill or to that of hidden nobility. His companion respectively moved with a certain grace, each step accentuated with the slight sway of her hips, aloof and dangerous.

Jaune made a personal note to thank Cinder for the help later; the last thing he needed was some idiot trying to buddy up with him and drive him up the wall in the process. Oum forbid they find out about his semblance early on.

People could charge their scrolls the traditional way…that is, if they earned one in the first place.

Or he didn't render them a twitching mess on the floor. Either was fine.

"Jaune, you're beginning to scare that scrawny looking guy in the corner," Cinder warned with a silky chuckle as the said boy surfaced from his thoughts with a jolt. Cinder had noticed how Jaune slowly spent more time thinking over the last few days. She had assumed it was nervousness, but Jaune was the type to just take things in his stride rather than fret about them…he had nothing to worry about in terms of being inadequate, so that was a dead end.

He replied in a gentle tone in order to prevent eavesdroppers. "Oh, I was just figuring things out…were going to be staying in the same place for four years with the same people. I don't know how close this bond between the new people we meet will have to be but four years is just a long time to spent with people you may or may not like,"

"You have me," Cinder reassured with a sense of finality, easing Jaune's mind. Besides, it was in her interests too…she wasn't Jaune slip through her fingers that easily…and it didn't hurt that he was a good fighter…amongst other things.

With that the pair continued aboard. The ship itself wasn't amazingly luxurious, but it was definitely spacious and featured current technology. The walls on the interior were a dull grey, although aircraft weren't renowned for their interior decorations; no, the main focus was what was going on outside of the ship. Below them lay the city, the elevation of the dock already making the people below appear miniature and the cars navigating the network of roads looking like toys in one big intricate board game.

As they gained elevation Jaune felt a craving to feel the wind and to experience the skyline for himself as he had done so many times in past…though in his humble opinion the city was that much more beautiful at night.

No. He would enjoy this journey. He would not think about what he would prefer and focus on what is actually there. There was a certain beauty to the day time he supposed, as the early morning shadows warped the angular few skyscrapers at the centre of the city into abstract shapes and patterns on the ground below.

"_Hmmmmm, I suppose I could get used to this," _he conceded, letting out a sigh in relaxation and slipping backwards into a nearby seat.

* * *

><p>A yellow and tan clad figure had been watching the boy with interest since he boarded the ship with his friend. Using her experience of looking out for boys who might be interested in her beloved sister, she quickly realised that the two weren't <em>'together' <em>together…yet.

Her eyes narrowed, a lilac gaze directed just across her sister's shoulder focusing on him. She liked to think she was a good judge of character and preferred what a person was like inside, but how much harm could it do if he looked good? A bit of mentally undressing someone never did any harm…right?

A pair of molten orange eyes met her own, the face sending a sceptical glance in her direction, clearly aware of what was going on in her mind.

"_Awesome, caught staring already, good way to make an impression on a hot guy's 'friend'," _Yang's conscience scolded. She swore that her own mind's favourite past-time was to point out what she was doing wrong.

Always _nice_ to have moral support from yourself.

Just like it's _nice_ to get attacked by a swarm of Rapier Wasps.

Focusing back on the task at hand the blond began continued to console her sister, Ruby, who was currently suffering from a mild panic attack. It amused Yang how she was so calm in fights against the creatures of Grimm and in duals against other people but at the moment she had to make social interactions she was reduced to a stumbling, awkward mess.

It wasn't that Ruby was rude or dislikeable; no quite the opposite. Yang was fairly sure that her sister was the sweetest person she'd ever met, with all the little quirks like having an addiction for chocolate-chip cookies. It was just not all people knew how to deal with her, especially if she was nervous and rambled on about Crescent Rose: that wasn't the greatest of conversation starters given the thing was about a subtle and intimidating as a Death Stalker…in the snow.

Before her Ruby's small form was kicking the ground in nervousness. "I got moved ahead _two whole years_! I just don't want people to think I'm special or anything…" with those words, Yang's heart broke a little for her, seeing her sister in such pain over something she should be proud of…besides, it wasn't like her to think about what people thought of her all the time.

"But you _are_ special," Yang consoled the fifteen year old, gently embracing her in an attempt to make her feel better. It worked to an extent as she felt her body ease up her form slowly relaxed, first the shoulders all the way down to how she was standing.

The tender moment was shattered as an announcement ran through the hull of the ship, the recent news broadcast to holographic screens all over the ship.

Shown in a prison mugshot stood an orange haired man with a suspicious grin on his face. Without even needing the reporter to explain they figured the guy was trouble. Yang herself knew of the guy through some information brokers she'd come across in Vale's nightlife, who all seemed to make reference to the guy in one way or another. What she found particularly interesting though was the absence of the two figures Ruby had described being at the robbery at the same time as the criminal…perhaps they were newer to the crime network or were important to the point that their identity was completely concealed from the public eye.

How very curious.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind she focused on the announcement from the deputy head of Beacon. Of course she had to be the one to voice her mind, still unaware of the magically themed teacher.

"Who's she..?" Yang quizzed, her eyebrows raising in interest.

"I am Glynda Goodwitch,"

Awesome, so much for disproving the dumb blonde stereotype that had plagued her throughout her childhood, people simply judging her rather than actually getting to know her and learning that it wasn't the case. Yang definitely didn't consider herself an intellectual but she knew she was far from dumb…just a little lazy during class.

Still, she had her friends here right..? She mulled the thought over remembering how people were drawn to her as her popularity grew. She couldn't put her finger on who was there for her before that time; there were a few friends here and there but her initially shyness that she had worked so hard to overcome had been her Achilles heel.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world," the teacher recited, earning cheers from many of the students.

Yep. That sounded _way_ _too_ rehearsed.

"_I suppose full time hunting Grimm with teaching on the side doesn't really leave room for acting lessons," _the golden-haired girl thought with a gentle chuckle. Oh, Goodwitch would be great fun to wind up this year.

Casting those thoughts to the back of her mind, she took a window seat and with a final sneaky glance towards the blond boy at the other end of the room, zoned out, focusing on the scenery below as they passed over it like a giant metal cloud.

* * *

><p>Cinder was less than impressed after the flight.<p>

"I'm telling you, I don't like that girl, she was giving you that look,"

"Calm down, I thought this is what your dreams were made out from…" Jaune reasoned trying to diffuse his crimson-dressed accomplice. While he hadn't noticed 'the looks' themselves Cinder was clearly aggravated for one reason or another.

There was a series of huge gasps from back near the docking platform as a young-looking girl admired the students who'd arrived…or rather their weapons.

"AND SHE HAS A FIRE SWORD!"

Cinder cringed recognising the girl in question as the one who nearly jeopardizing their chances at even getting to Beacon. Great, the last thing they needed was some talkative teen recognising them and getting them caught.

Noticing the said girl getting berated by a princess-like girl clad in alabaster white, who was waving around a poorly sealed tube of burn dust. In a mean streak Cinder subtly cast some embers into the cloud of dust residue, the misty substance ignite just as the poor girl sneezed, sending the two flying apart from each other and leaving the previously white clad figure coated in a think black layer of soot.

"Was that really necessary?" Jaune asked rhetorically with a raised eyebrow and muted laughter, the forms of the two girls squaring up into an argument. Out of the corner of their eyes another person slinked over to the source of the commotion, signalling it as time for the two to leave.

With Cinder's anger vented on the girl, she along with Jaune began to take in the beauty of the campus. Even the very edges of the grounds were maintained to perfection, the fauna distinguishing the place from what would be just as bleaks as the forest that lay beyond the cliffs, brooding with dark shades of green concealing anything that lurked within. The hairs on the back of Jaune's neck stood on end as an inhuman wailing came from within the forest. It was such a distant sound, but still reminded him how close they were to the very brutal reality that anything outside of the city or town walls would try and kill you.

Without any hesitation.

And here the towers of Beacon stood in the middle of Grimm infested woods, cloaked in a warm green light as each spire house giant emerald jewels of dust. It was as if their presence alone was to warn the nearby Grimm. To remind them that they were the ones being hunted and not vice versa.

Drawing nearer and nearer to their destination the pair finally realised the scale of the citadel, the walls in front of them towering to hundreds of feet peppered with the pure glass of each window. The slight scars on the building became apparent too, lines where to the Grimm had scraped at armaments to try and get inside, back when Beacon was still developing into the prestigious academy it is today.

They gave the building character if anything else: a history that went beyond what books could tell you.

A rainbow of people filled the courtyard itself, all crowding around a platform where a microphone rested at the centre of the circular stage. The idle chatter that filled the entire area died down as footsteps resonated against the hard stone walls, a shadow emerging from backstage to reveal a tall silver-haired man with a pair of glasses perched low on his nose.

"…So that's Ozpin," Cinder breathed, her voice laced with undertones admiration as the legendary hunter began to speak into the microphone.

"I'll...keep this brief," the student's hung at the man's every word. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge: to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose: direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step,"

Jaune had to give it to the guy, he was a natural public speaker, each word that rolled off the tip of his tongue holding the weight of a thousand for another person.

"Cinder, you can close your mouth now," Jaune sniggered, playfully elbowing her in the side, unleashing a flurry of denial.

"I wasn't _that_ impressed!" she retorted, trying to play it off, embarrassed at having her front of being self-important and generally unimpressed with other people torn to pieces. She suppose there were exceptions, Ozpin and Jaune apparently being two of them. "Besides…he looked kind of…off,"

Jaune agreed, partially so he could sleep safely at night and because she was right. The man spoke as if he was deep in thought about something far bigger than they could comprehend, or at least in his eyes.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready," Goodwitch informed the student body, shortly and simply.

Yeah. A little charisma wouldn't hurt every once in a while but what did he expect? She wasn't known for being a forgiving teacher and everybody who had studied at Beacon would only reinforce that point.

"Wait…Jaune, I'm fairly sure that uh…well, the ball room isn't going to have a division or anything…" Cinder highlighted the potential awkwardness of the evening to come.

"Well, you've never had a problem with the opposite genders in the same room…or say…bed," the blonde teased the raven haired girl who's cheeks very quickly tinged red.

This was going to be a…different…evening.

* * *

><p>"Look, I told you she isn't interested bird-brain or Thrush or whatever you're called,"<p>

This was the fourth guy Jaune was dissuading from making an advance on Cinder. The guy could have had the decency to keep a shirt on…or to at least have a trace of muscle to justify the decision. Around the room littered with sleeping bags stood other teens wearing the bare minimum of what they could get away with.

Sleepwear was for _sleeping _not modelling.

Of course that was his opinion, which seemed to make far too much sense for people to actually listen to. Because that would be far too logical and easy, but instead the room was thick with the testosterone of a legion a teenage boys around mainly scantily dressed teenage girls. What a mix to have within a confined environment.

Jaune swore if he heard…

Nope. He wasn't even going to think about it.

Across the room, a certain Yang Xiao Long was watching the boy avidly as he flexed to intimidate yet another scrawny teen, the current one with a coloured plume like a parrot. Seriously, he had a long, long way to go if he was going to impress any person on this room through attractiveness.

Attractiveness…

She looked on enviously at the girl currently positioned near the wall at the back, just behind where the blonde had laid out his things. Yang was impressed with the view she got of him changing shirts although she had a feeling that the orange eyed girl got a much better view, even if the boy hadn't meant it.

No! She was Yang Xiao Long, voted hottest female student at Signal three years in a row, and there was no way whatsoever that she was missing an opportunity like this one. She began hatching a plan as Ruby complained to her about her lack of friends at the academy.

Perfect! "Well, surely you know someone from around here..?" Yang questioned in mock inquisitiveness. She was proud of her ploy as the plan went straight over her sister's head, who motioned towards the pair at the other side of the room.

"I know them…kinda, they were there when I exploded…plus they seem kind of familiar!" Ruby chirped trying to put a positive light on her experience with the two.

That was all the opportunity Yang needed as she dragged her protesting sister forwards, knocking several people out of the way in the process, followed by multiple groans as the people picked themselves off of the floor.

"Hey! I am Yang and this is my sister Ruby! You guys have met right?" Jaune jumped at the sudden appearance of the blonde, eyes widening at the sudden closeness.

Cinder was up in an instant and immediately cut in. "I suppose you could say that…she's the one who exploded right?"

Ruby's face dropped and she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, and pouted in frustration at her sister. Jaune while not overly keen on the girl to begin with after the robbery, couldn't stand the look akin to a kicked puppy she had on her face. Besides, all that criminal stuff was behind them…right?

"I'm Jaune, nice to meet you Ruby," he began, extending his hand politely in a friendly gesture. What harm could come of having a few allies? "And this is Cinder…come on, play nice for once," he sent a look to the said girl who rolled her eyes.

That was all the distraction Yang needed before she pushed into Jaune side, slinging her arm around his shoulder and dragging Ruby underneath her other arm. Cinder's features darkened and her eyes glowed more intensely…Yang almost swore she felt Jaune shiver.

"See Ruby, that's plus two friends!" Yang exclaimed excitedly, enjoying the close contact with Jaune who looked completely confused as to what was happening. She took in his scent, smelling on fresh pine and chocolate before beginning to drag him and her sister back to where they were resting to get to know her new acquaintance.

The lights went out and the three stumbled sending them into a heap on the floor, Cinder's eyes shining like hot coals in the dark after discovering the master switch to the lights and hauling Jaune out of the blonde girl's clutches and back to where they were sleeping.

"Thank me later," Cinder whispered to Jaune who was wriggling into his sleeping bag.

"She wasn't doing any…"

His reply was cut short by Cinder's slender arms reaching forwards and clamping his mouth shut.

"Jaune, shut up and just enjoy sleeping next to a beautiful women, okay?"

He obliged.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Another chapter done and dusted. Hopefully there aren't TOO many mistakes...<br>Well, Yang has had a brief introduction into the plot now...don't bite my head off just yet, she will get plenty of time in some of the following scenes, things just take a while to get going...besides, where's the fun in having no build up?  
>And come on! Let's push 100 followers of the story within the next week, I tend to repeat myself over this but it really does mean a lot to me to know that you are prepared to take just five minutes out of your day to read this, it really does :)<br>_**

**_Shoutout to my English teacher for dumping three hours of exam questions on me as homework this week, really helps to free up the little spare time I have to write this -_- She's worked her way to the prestigious number one slot on my shit-list._**

**_Have a great week everybody!_**


	5. Paying my respects

_**This is essentially my way of paying my respects to Monty. I'm not as gifted with words as a lot of you are so I decided I'd express myself though music. While I've written stronger songs, I think the simplicity works…oh and I don't claim to be Ed Sheeran or Beethoven, I tend to play songs, not write them. This is the second of the special chapters I've released. And kudos to whoever gets the reference at the start.**_

* * *

><p>"Big Smile Lee. I want him dead,"<p>

"Tell me you aren't being serious…" Jaune replied knowing fully well the crimes that the notorious member of the triads had committed over the last decade.

"Am I the type of person to tell jokes?" the suited man asked rhetorically, seeing Jaune wince at his intimidating presence. It frustrated him to no end that the boy didn't trust him, over course it had been members of _his _organisation he'd sent himself to drill this quality into the teen, who had now 'dealt with' several high priority targets.

The stress was clearly getting to Jaune though despite all the practise, his eyebrows knit tightly as he massaged his temples.

"Fine, _Sir_, just know I expect a pay rise after this is over," the teen grumbled before slinking out of the room, shutting the door quickly and quietly behind him. Stressed didn't even begin to describe how the boy was feeling: week after week he'd been sent to spy here, kill him and find this by the higher ranking members of the organisation.

But this was too much. Big Smile Lee was big as it gets as far as assassinations, considering the following of loyal henchmen he'd accumulated. What was worse was that they actually had an ounce of training and could be more than an annoyance if not dealt with correctly.

He needed a relief and fast, something to do to put the task at hand to the back of his mind so he might actually get some sleep when the time came.

That's when he remembered: in a small room at the back of the storage section of the facility was an upright piano. Yeah, it wasn't great in terms of quality nor was it tuned to perfection but it would have to do.

It was just as bad as he remembered when he arrived, with the top of the body missing entirely, exposing the inner workings of the instrument.

Now all he needed was a song…and what better one than the one his mother had sang to him when a group of his friends had been killed thanks to a Grimm attack on the village whilst they were outside.

He suppressed a shudder at the image

"Come one, D, there we go," the boy muttered under his breath, sighing in relief as the chord still sounded like it should.

"**The broken stars, the shattered moon,**

**Shed their tears, they fall for you.**

**The hazy sun, the pouring rain,**

**Whisper words and breathe your name,"**

As Jaune relaxed into the song, his voice loosened, smoothening with every note, his body rocking slightly as he hit an instrumental.

"**I feel the cold of winter's touch,**

**I know couldn't feel as such.**

**And I swear again I know the pain,**

**Of losing ten thousand games,"**

He gathered his breath, calmed by the sound of his own voice and the softness of each uncomfortable press into the ancient keyboard.

"**So pick up the pieces,**

**I know you can hear this.**

**Words cast to the sky.**

**Like long nights in December,**

**I hope you remember.**

**That legends never die,"**

His voice resonated as he hummed the melody over the instrument, in preparation for the next verse.

"**I hear the bird's sad symphony,**

**Each note's white simplicity.**

**I listen to time pass,**

**Future, present and past,"**

Jaune was almost lost in the music, losing all awareness of his surrounds, purely focusing on the ebb and flow of the music.

"**So pick up the pieces,**

**I wish you could hear this.**

**Words cast to the sky.**

**Like long nights in December,**

**I hope you remember.**

**That legends never die,"**

The next section was the bridge, the teen inhaling a deep breath to ready himself for the notes to come.

"**The story won't be the same,**

**When it's missing your name.**

**Page after page.**

**The canvas forgot colour,**

**Without you to cover.**

**The picture with paint,"**

One final time Jaune drew breath, putting every ounce of emotion into the words, _feeling _the music instead of simply hearing it.

"**So pick up the pieces,**

**I know you can hear this.**

**Words cast to the sky.**

**Like long nights in December,**

**I hope you remember.**

**That legends never die,**

**That legends never die,**

**That legends never die."**

He looked up, seeing nobody around.

One day. Perhaps one day he'd let people find out about his little secret.


End file.
